Africa’s COVID-19 infections top 8.42 million mark

By Jerry Omondi

A Kenyan man receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Makongeni Estate in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021.(Photo by Brian Inganga via CFP)

The number of COVID-19 infections in Africa surpassed the 8.42 million mark ok Sunday as the some countries on the continent continue to see declines in new daily cases.

According to the latest data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the continent has so far registered 8,426,107 confirmed cases with 215,467 fatalities.

South Africa remains to be the hardest-hit country by the pandemic in Africa, with 2,916,179 infections and 88,587 deaths.

Only two other countries on the continent have reported more than half a million confirmed cases; Morocco (941,863) and Tunisia (710,773).

Various countries on the continent have rolled out mass vaccination drives in efforts to contain further spread of the virus.

Having struggled to obtain the vital jabs earlier in the year, more doses started streaming in over the past two months, enabling faster vaccinations.

These vaccination drives have been supported by various government-imposed containment measures, including nighttime curfews, bans on public gatherings, closures of public leisure facilities and the mandatory wearing of face masks.

The Africa CDC data also showed that some 7,801,688 recoveries have been recorded.

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